


we must be cruel only to be kind

by orphan_account



Category: Tekken, Tekken 7
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, it was so good, the rage and sorrow trailer has me slain guys
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-10-18 01:09:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10606167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Continues directly where Tekken 6 left off. After the events of Azazel's defeat and Jin's disappearance, Nina is left scrambling to pick up the pieces. She allies herself with the rebel leader Lars Alexandersson, as planned - but the threat of Heihachi and Kazuya Mishima are never far from the horizon, and if they are to eliminate the accursed Devil gene as well as resolve the Mishima family conflict once and for all, they're going to need a lot more help than that.





	1. the sands of time

**Author's Note:**

> I have two major deadlines due next week but I'd rather think about Tekken 7 all day. You feel me?

"What's going on?" Lieutenant General Ezo barked as he leapt off the helicopter. He had returned from overseeing a takeover of the Spratly Islands. Oil had been found below ground, and it was a battle waged to see who could seize control of such a precious resource during wartime. 

The soldiers around him winced. They had just received news that Jin Kazama was officially pronounced MIA, and the entire Tekken Force was in chaos. 

"Sir, Jin Kazama is missing in action. They are declaring him dead." 

"What?" Ezo breathed in shock. 

"What of Miss Williams?" 

"Miss Williams is on her way back to base, sir. Her ETA is -" 

They were interrupted by a tremendous explosion that shook the facility, followed by numerous shouts. 

"What in blazes-" Ezo cursed. 

Moments later, the intercom crackled.

"All members of the Tekken Force, report to the assembly grounds immediately. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Report to the assembly grounds immediately for the arrival of Mr Heihachi Mishima." 

"We're done for," Ezo growled. 

"Someone get me Gordo on the phone, NOW!" 

\--

"Miss Williams, Mr Gordo on the phone for you," the pilot announced. 

"Thank you," Nina said, taking over the slim device. It was a Tekken make, meaning no other technology could wiretap it. 

"Yes?" 

"Nina, listen," Eddy growled, "Heihachi's at the island base. Do not return. He has his personal Tekken Force - not large, but they have threatened the tower into a complete surrender. He has come back for the Zaibatsu."

Nina was silent for a moment. She had expected this, but - 

"What are you going to do?" She asked. 

Eddy made a noise of surprise. 

"I was expecting you to tell me." 

Nina let out a wry chuckle. 

"Go back to your Master, Eddy. Go into hiding. We can't do anything about that old man without the appropriate back-up." 

This time it was him who paused. 

"You sure?" Even through the phone, Nina could hear the hope in his voice.

Despite the situation, she laughed. 

"Come on, Gordo. I know they call me heartless, but I'm not going to drag you into something you didn't sign up for." 

"Alright," he agreed immediately, then asked, "what about you? I know you have your orders...but Heihachi's crazy, man. It's almost impossible to take him down." 

"Almost," Nina stressed. "You know me, Gordo..." 

"Yeah," he said, a good-natured exasperation in his voice. "Never back down from a challenge." 

"Never will," she smiled. 

"A'ight. I gotta bail. I'm about to release my unit. I know most of them would rather take their chances and run instead of going back to Heihachi. They have their own families..." 

Nina pursed her lips, thinking.

"There will be those who don't know how to live but for the fight, Gordo. I speak from experience. Listen, Lars Alexandersson needs men. I'm planning to pay him a visit as soon as possible, myself. Send those who won't desert to him, I'll transfer the coordinates. Tell him Nina Williams sent them." 

"The rebel leader?" Gordo asked incredulously. 

"I believe that at this juncture, our goals are aligned." 

"Alright," Eddy conceded. There was a note of hesitation, and Nina waited. She knew there was more he wanted to say. 

"Nina..." he started. "If you need help - you know how to reach me. I'll do my best."

She raised her brows in surprise. She hadn't expected this. 

"Thank you," she said softly, sincerely. 

She was touched by his offer - she knew it was extended to her not out of loyalty to the zaibatsu or its mission, but out of the camaraderie that had developed between them as partners. 

"And don't you be too proud to ask for help either, Williams. We all need it sometimes," he ribbed, and the mood lightened. 

"I know, Gordo," she smiled. 

"Just making sure. Bye - and good luck." 

"You too," she said, and they were disconnected with a click. 

She set the phone down, and addressed the pilot. 

"Dave - head directly to Central Tower." 

"Miss Williams, I'm getting reports that a squadron of Mr Mishima's personal guard are on the way there as well." 

"Will we reach before them?" 

"Yes ma'am." 

"Then full speed ahead." 

"Yes ma'am." 

\--

"Dave, see if you can get me info on whether Heihachi's guard have the air power to stop our takeoff later." 

"He does not, Miss Williams. They are approaching on land." 

Nina nodded. 

"Good. Wait for me at the helipad." 

\--

Nina had leapt off the helicopter even before its landing. 

As soon as the helipad's entrance detected her body signal, its doors slid open. From there, she raced to the elevator. It was two floors down to Jin's office. She jabbed a series of codes into the security system, preventing the elevator from being activated except by her command. Its doors would stand open at the office - if Heihachi's guard wanted to get to her, they would have to climb several flights first - and barricade through bulletproof, nuclear-grade shutters. 

She estimated she had more than enough time before they arrived. 

"Dave, I want an update every ten minutes," she touched her finger to the communicator now attached to her ear. 

"Yes ma'am." 

As she rushed into Jin's office, the mainframe lit up at her body signal - everything at HQ could be activated by her live pulse, which was a safety precaution as much as it was an incentive against enemies - she was much more use to them alive. 

Nina dug through her pant suit pocket for her thumbdrive, and plugged it into the harddrive. 

"Welcome, Miss Williams," the system's cool voice said. 

"Nancy, activate model MI847J." 

"MI847J activated. Awaiting command." "Send it to the lobby and have it fire on everything attempting to get through." 

"Command accepted." 

"Nancy, start Project Renaissance." 

"Password needed for administrative action." 

"Juliet, Umbrella, Nunchuck, 11, 1, 26." 

"Password accepted. Project Renaissance activated. Sending virus into Tekken Facility system. Downloading all mainframe folders. Folders will be permanently deleted after transfer. Announcement will be played throughout all registered Tekken bases in 10, 9, 8 -" 

"Wait, what?" Nina blinked. There was no announcement under the Project. It was structured to be simple - destroy Heihachi's chances of accessing Jin's plans, and make the complete takeover as difficult for him as possible.

"3, 2, 1." 

The intercom crackled. 

"March 7th, 5.30AM," Nancy's voice started. Nina jerked. The announcement had only been recorded that morning, before Jin's departure to the temple. 

"This is Jin Kazama." 

His deep voice echoed throughout the building, and no doubt throughout all of the zaibatsu's bases around the world. 

"As of this instant, I declare Nina Williams head of the Mishima Zaibatsu and General of the Tekken Force." 

Nina closed her eyes at the message, and sat down heavily in the armchair. 

Damn that man and bless him at the same time. 

She knew that he knew there was no way her role would be recognized as legitimate, but it worked as informal recognition - the soldiers of the Tekken Force who had been loyal to him would covertly sabotage Heihachi's attempts at takeover.

It made her job slightly easier. 

"You daft idiot," she whispered fondly, as the announcement repeated itself. 

"Nancy, estimate completion of data transfer and erasure." 

"Data transfer and erasure complete in 20 minutes. Do you want to start a countdown?" 

"Yes please." 

"Countdown started." 

Large holographic numbers materialized in the middle of the office.

"Miss Williams, calm on the horizon." Dave's voice interrupted her reverie. 

"Good. Thank you." 

"Also ma'am - congratulations at your promotion." 

Dave's voice was jovial, and Nina rolled her eyes. 

"I'm thrilled," she deadpanned. 

\--

She had made her way to her private quarters with Jin as she waited for the data transfer to complete itself. 

There were two floors to the lush, homely penthouse, and she entered her room first, picking up the branded leather trunk she had packed that morning.  
She cast a glance over the rest of her belongings wistfully. Living in one place for an extended period of time had caused an emotional attachment, and she loathed to leave it. The view from the penthouse was unbeatable, and she had passed many quiet mornings doing yoga with the sunrise; amidst the chaos that was the rest of her life, the penthouse was an oasis of tranquility. She padded around the entire place, tracing her fingers over polished mahogany surfaces and soft furniture. Coming to Jin's room, she leaned against his door. It was completely neat, but an item on his silk bedspread gave her pause. She walked towards it, and realized it was a single lavender rose, with a tag attached. 

"Nina - good luck." 

She laughed, and touched her fingertips to each soft petal, as silken as his bedspread. 

She brought it back out to the living room, and grabbed a slim vase from one of the cupboards, filling it with water before placing the rose in it. 

She placed it on the dining table, and her communicator went off again. 

Dave had reported twice more since she left the office, which meant the transfer should be done. 

Grabbing her suitcase, she quickly strode out the door, casting the penthouse one last lingering glance. 

\--

She pocketed the thumbdrive, and let out a deep breath as she straightened. 

"Ms Williams, I can see a squadron rapidly advancing on the tower. There seem to be many more behind...." 

"Alright, prepare for takeoff." 

"Yes ma'am." 

\--

When she emerged on the helipad again, the blades of the helicopter were already whirring. She heaved her luggage onto the backseat, and ran back to the control panel located in the elevator. 

"Nancy, activate spy mode. Reroute chain of command to Base 000." 

"Command accepted. All systems may now be surveilled through Base 000." 

\--

"Let's go." 

"Where to, Miss Williams?" 

"Narita Airport." 

Not long after their takeoff, gunshots were heard as Heihachi's private Tekken Force took on the best fighting machine Mishima Heavy Industries had to offer.  
The ride to the airport was short, and Nina directed Dave to land in front of a private hangar. 

A team of airport staff were there to greet them, and uncertainty was written all over their faces - she knew that Jin's death had occupied international news as soon as it was announced. 

Nina slid the door open, and flashed them her Tekken pass. 

"Dave, get off." 

"Miss Williams?" He asked uncertainly.

"Get off the damn helicopter," she rolled her eyes. 

He did as was told, and Nina gracefully slid into the pilot's seat in his place.

She leaned out the window. 

"Find the fastest plane you can and head directly to Lars Alexandersson's base. The coordinates have been sent to your handheld. When you get there, demand an audience with the man himself. Tell him Nina Williams has a message for him - then give him this." 

Nina reached into her pocket, drew out the thumbdrive, and tossed it at Dave. He caught it with effort.

"You're holding every ounce of information Central Tower used to possess. It will give them every single lead we've been working on over the past year. Tell Lars anything he wants to know."

"Yes ma'am," Dave saluted, fingers curled tightly around the thumbdrive. 

"Good. You will be under his command." 

"Yes ma'am," Dave repeated, and stood back with the rest of the ground crew as Nina took off once more. 

\--

Base 000 technically didn't exist. It was only recently created, and completely untraceable through any of the zaibatsu's systems without her or Jin's commands. The base was a small bunk located somewhere in the Haggor Mountains. Nina knew she wasn't going to get there on the helicopter, but she had to lead Heihachi's trackers astray.  
In the helicopter, she made several rounds around central Tokyo, before landing on the first helipad she spotted. By some twist of luck, no one was around to ask unnecessary questions. Nina supposed there was an upside to carrying out covert military operations on a Sunday, and she smiled wryly.

She prowled through the underground garage of the company building until she found a motorbike she liked. It took a few minutes work to strap the trunk securely to the bike, and then Nina was revving the accelerator and zooming past the gantry even before the lone security guard could realize what was happening. She sped through Tokyo's streets, careful to keep mostly to alleyways where security cameras couldn't trace her, and it was half an hour before she reached her destination - a small bay area just off the main docks of Tokyo harbour, where a mid-sized cargo carrier was waiting. The captain had been told to expect her, and Nina drew out a bag from her suitcase, throwing it at him. He unzipped it to find fresh wads of hundred dollar bills rolled up, and nodded at her with a toothy grin. Nina resigned herself to a 2 days' journey out to the Senkaku Islands, and locked herself in her bunk, propping her AK-47 against the door. 

\--

The journey was smooth, and Nina handed over the second bag of dollar bills to the very satisfied captain as she leapt off the liner onto the beach. Her luggage had been lowered before her, and Nina waited for the liner to disappear far enough out at sea before she started for the hills. It was a steep incline towards the cave that housed the jet, and Nina groaned as she realized that she would have the additional weight of her luggage to account for. She would have to adjust her sense of balance accordingly. Still, getting any form of physical exercise after two days of being cooped up in the cargo liner sounded heavenly to her. She made good time despite the obstrusive suitcase, and when she clambered into the cool cave she allowed herself several minutes' rest, flicking the sweat away from her forehead. The fighter jet was sleek and metallic grey, bearing no visible emblem anywhere. It had a top speed of Mach 3, and was equipped with a cloaking device that would render it invisible both physically and on radars. 

\-- 

The jet hummed into life as soon as she placed her handprint on the scan pad, and she strapped herself into the pilot seat. She found several more of her packed trunks in the jet, as Jin had arranged. She hadn't been present to witness his preparations, but she didn't doubt they would be seamless. What piqued her apprehension was that she hadn't the most experience with jets, but hey - she couldn't be perfect, right? And besides, she had watched others do it - it couldn't be that difficult. 

Making sure all the appropriate switches were flipped on, she waited for the jets engines to warm up. She knew that there was no runway for this sort of plane - therefore no margin for error. Once she pushed the throttles, it was lift off. She drummed her fingers against the control panel nervously, and dug into her small carry on now on the dashboard. She couldn't risk being antsy when piloting such a delicate instrument. Popping a pill into her mouth, she swallowed it with a sip of water, and mentally braced herself. The light on the dashboard blinked indicating the engine was ready, and before she could second guess herself, she had pushed the throttle to its maximum. The effects were immediate - one minute she was staring at a small sliver of bright sky she could see from the cave entrance, the next she was soaring over the South China Sea. Her head had been jerked back by the sudden motion, but the stabilizers hampered the drastic effects of going from zero to full speed. 

"Okay, that wasn't so bad..." she muttered, and engaged the autopilot. It was three hours to Algeria, and she was going to stretch out on the full bed in the back of the jet. The conditions in the liner had been terribly cramped and she had developed a mild claustrophobia in the cabin. Now facing open sky and sea, and after the pill, she could finally relax enough to sleep. 

\--

The descent into the mountains was smooth, and Nina found herself standing in front of the secret entrance to Base 000 in the late afternoon. It was hot and dry in the desert, and she had shrugged off her trench coat as soon as she stepped out the jet. She pulled off her gloves, and searched the apparently solid wall for a groove. When she found it, she hooked her fingers into the groove, and an opening in the ground slid open. It was completely pitch black, and Nina winced. Darkness was one thing, many of her missions had been carried out under the cloak of the night, but a dark hole in the fucking ground in the middle of nowhere? She didn't know why she allowed Jin to make such decisions. Tentatively, she lowered herself into the hole, and realized it was shallow - about one third more than her height. As soon as she was standing in it, it lit up with a soft yellow light, and Nina realized she was standing in a metal cylinder. 

"Welcome, Miss Williams. Prepare for descent into Base 000." It was Nancy's voice, and Nina didn't think she had ever been so glad for some element of familiarity and reliability before. 

The entrance above her slid shut, and Nina shuddered slightly. 

"Nancy, how far down is it?" 

"50 metres, Miss Williams." 

She exhaled in relief. She could cope with that.

\--

When she exited the narrow shaft, she saw that the Base was spacious enough to rival the penthouse - the mainstay was obviously the massive computer system, but amenities like a bath - a bed, even a kitchen - had been accounted for. As she walked towards the bathroom area, she realized there was even a sunken jacuzzi tub, and she laughed.  
On the dining table was a thin vase that looked identical to the one she had left back at the penthouse, if not for the fact that the rose was white, not lavender.  
The rose was wilting slightly, evidence of it having been left there for quite a number of days, and Nina made a mental note to air-dry it later. 

The tag read, "I hope your trip so far has been comfortable." 

Nina rolled her eyes. Only he would make it sound like she was taking a bloody vacation. 

"No, it hasn't," she sniped into thin air, but the corners of her lips lifted slightly. 

\--

After she had taken a much needed soak while re-reading her well-loved copy of Twelfth Night (she loved the Bard’s comedies), she fixed herself a dinner that consisted of more than just the oatmeal and fruits she had been ingesting for the past few days - rich chicken & vegetable stew, baked potatoes and steamed fish - she needed the carbs and proteins. She had Nancy play her favourite jazz standards in the background, and if not for the circumstances, it was almost like a day back in the penthouse. Damn, that sense of normality had really gotten to her. Post-dinner, she made herself tea the way she liked it, and set the mug down on the polished surface of the computer systems. 

"Nancy, give me an update on Central Tower." 

"Central Tower has been overtaken by Heihachi Mishima and the Tekken Force. Systems are under restoration." 

"How long since they installed their asses there?" 

"It has been one day, fourteen hours and three minutes."

"Hmm, that took longer than expected," Nina mused. "Show me footage from the past three days." 

"Running footage from Central Tower lobby and Gargoyle's Perch." 

Nina watched as the screens in front of her filled with images of gunfire and smoke - MI847J proved amazingly resilient against bazookas and tanks - and was completely fire-proof. It took them half a day to decommission the machine, and another day to make it through the numerous booby traps set throughout the tower.  
She watched as they infiltrated Jin's office and upended every drawer and compartment they could lay hands on. 

"Sure, make a mess while looking for something...it makes the job so much easier," she scoffed. 

She continued watching until they broke into the penthouse level, and then she closed the feed. She didn't fancy looking at how they invaded her precious space. 

"Nancy, locate the thumbdrive." 

"The thumdrive is currently at Lars Alexandersson's base." 

"Good," Nina said emphatically. 

"Now we can focus on what we're really here for. Give me Jin's location." 

"Looking for Jin Kazama."

Nina waited as the AI ran an international scan for Jin - a knot of anxiety had settled in the pit of her stomach, and when the computers beeped, she nearly leapt off the chair.

"Jin Kazama, location unknown."

"What?" Nina gaped.

"Is he alive?" She bit out urgently.

"Jin Kazama is alive. Current location unknown." 

Nina sat back down heavily. 

In his weakened state, there was no way he could have gone into hiding on his own - which meant he must have been found before she got the chance to...which meant people had been watching him for awhile. She slammed her palm onto the console. Fuck it all. She would need Lars' help sooner than she thought.

"Nancy, give me Jin's last known location." 

"Last known location, 23.28889°N 5.53361°E." 

"Give me details." 

"Multiple heat signals at Jin Kazama's last known coordinates show that he was surrounded by armed forces and transport vehicles. Registration and affiliations unknown."

Nina cursed again. It was only further confirmation that he had been taken.

"Nancy, send an encrypted folder of all the footage from Central Tower to Lars' base. Estimate how long it would take me to get there on the jet." 

"Folder sent. The journey will take 2.5 hours." 

Nina sat back and steepled her fingers. Lars' base was somewhere along the Sino-Russian border, closest to Japan. Nina zoomed in on the map. Jin's last known location was a distance away from the ruins of the temple that Azazel had been housed at - far enough that walking was impossible. The only people who could possibly have been around after the temple's collapse was Lars and - 

Nina froze. Lars might have more to do with Jin's disappearance than she thought.

"Nancy, prepare the jet for takeoff to Lars' base." 

"Jet engines starting up, Miss Williams." 

"Reroute chain of command to Lars Alexandersson's base. Activate only with my voice command." 

"Command accepted." 

Bottling herself a chamomile tea, Nina made her way back to the jet again. It had been pointless coming out here to the desert - both her and Jin had underestimated Lars' intentions.


	2. meet the winds of fate

When the jet landed on the near-empty airfield and Nina removed the cloaking device, the sirens had been sounded. Nina swept her hair up into a tight bun calmly as she watched rebel forces surround the jet. She slid her desert eagles into her thigh holsters, having donned her black standard issue military pants and anorak blazer earlier, and slid her knives into her boots. More weapons were sequestered in the jet's storage spaces, and her trunk held her AKs. The jet's entrance door slid open and the ladder unfurled, and she made her way down calmly. The soldiers all recognized her, and there was a buzz of surprise. She saw several lower their weapons.

"I want to speak to Lars," she addressed the nearest soldier. 

"I'm here," a deep-set voice replied, and the wave of soldiers parted to reveal the man himself. 

"Stand down, guys. Welcome, Miss Williams. Thank you for all the data, and the reinforcements. We -" 

Before he could finish his sentence, Nina had drawn her gun and pointed it squarely at his forehead. The surrounding soldiers immediately hefted their weapons up again. Lars put his hands up, a look of bewilderment crossing his features. 

"Where's Jin?" Nina asked calmly. 

"I wouldn't know." 

His hands were still up in a placating gesture, and the corner of Nina's lips tilted. It was a dangerous smile. 

"You must think me the biggest fool in the world if you think I'm going to fall for that, Alexandersson." 

"I wouldn't," Lars said honestly. "I respect you far too much, and I know who has Jin, but believe me when I say I don't know where he is right now. We will have the information soon. Please, let me show you in." 

Nina lowered her arm. There was a collective sigh of relief. She scrutinized the soldiers around her more closely. Several of them who hadn't drawn their weapons on her, she recognized from Eddy's division. 

"Mia, get my trunks from the jet. Benson - there are crates of weapons in there. Get them out and look them over. They're the zaibatsu's latest prototypes, and they'll be helpful." 

"Yes, Miss Williams!" They scrambled into action. 

\--

On their walk into Lars' base, he casually commented, "when Gordo's soldiers arrived, they told me they'd recognize me as their new leader. As I see today, that's clearly not the case." 

"No cause for concern, Mr Alexandersson," Nina's tone was equally light, but there was no mistaking the sarcasm. 

"Your soldiers are loyal to you, and mine will be to me. Or haven't you heard?" They had stopped in front of what seemed to be the head control room, and Nina turned to him, her gaze sparkling with mirth. "I'm the new head of the zaibatsu now, General of the Tekken force and all." 

Lars chuckled as he gestured for her to enter first. "Oh, I'm sure the whole world knows by now, Miss Williams. It has made you quite the target these days." 

"Yes, lucky me," Nina rolled her eyes. 

In the control room, she recognized Tougou - the only other unit general besides Lars to have defected during Jin's tenure - several higher ups under them - and Dave, who was grinning at her like an idiot. 

"Miss Williams!" He saluted. 

"Dave," Nina acknowledged drolly. 

She nodded at the officers, but blithely ignored Tougou, settling into a plush office chair in front of a command screen instead. Lars looked amused, the others looked uncomfortable. 

Tougou let out a bark of laughter. "Still holding a grudge are you, Williams? Come on, you're better than that." 

"Do you admit you cheated?" Nina replied. 

"I've never cheated at a chess game a day in my life." 

"Liar," Nina immediately accused. 

Lars blinked slowly. This wasn't what he expected their conflict to be over. 

"Did you two...know each other well?" He ventured. 

"Enough for me to know he's a cheat at chess," Nina replied. 

Tougou made to protest, but Lars held his hand up. "Okay, this day just keeps getting weirder." 

"Where's Jin?" Nina asked again, immediately shoving them back on track. 

"Raven and his organization were tracking him. They found him and rescued him from the Sahara. Last I communicated with him was three hours ago. They only pulled him from the sands six hours before that. They can't get him conscious." 

"And they're moving him here, yes?" 

"We don't have as advanced a medical team..." Lars began hesitantly. 

"No, of course not," Nina interjected. "He needs zaibatsu level tech." 

"Why was Raven tracking him?" She asked, her steely gaze focused on Lars. He was normally unflappable, but something about Nina made him feel like a schoolboy all over again.

"I told him to," Lars replied. Nina looked at him expectantly. 

"I thought he would need my help...." 

"You didn't think he would already have plans?" Nina asked incredulously. 

Lars looked sheepish, heavily conscious of his misstep. 

"He was trekking into Algeria when they found him," one of the officers defended. 

"Yes, and for good reason," Nina fired back. 

"He was half unconscious!" Lars exclaimed. 

"Because he expected me to be there to help. I could have administered the fucking solution Dr Asai had developed immediately - now that you've moved him, the time delay means the medicine might no longer work on his system. Do you know what you might have done?" 

Now the officers looked stunned.

Nina rolled her eyes again. Honestly, men were largely characterized for their incompetence. "Nancy, activate command," she spoke to the room at large. 

Lars and Tougou were perplexed, and the entire room jumped when Nancy's cool voice came on the system. 

"Systems active. Welcome, Miss Williams. What can I do for you?" 

"What the fuck is that?" Tougou exclaimed. 

"She's a server, designed specifically to infiltrate any system in the world. The technology's nearly unbeatable," Nina explained patiently. 

"You infiltrated our systems?" Lars questioned. 

"Just," Nina stressed. 

"But you could have done this before, right?" 

"Yes." 

"And you didn't?" 

"Of course not. If I had quashed your little rebel mission back then, Lars, where would we be today?" Nina arched a brow. 

"I was a backup plan?"

"Don't get upset, baby," Nina smirked, "you're first amongst all the seconds we had lined up." 

Lara didn't take the bait, and his tone revealed his increasing frustration. "So all this time, we were merely pawns in your game?" 

Nina's reply was blasé. "We're all pawns in the game - the objective is to reach the end of the board to become Queen." 

"You know that's not what I meant," Lars growled. 

Nina swiveled around in her chair, fingers pressed to her temple as she contemplated him in exasperation. 

"Honestly, Alexandersson, you have a painfully one track mind at times. You're wondering what the point of your mission was in the first place, if your beliefs have any credence - if what you're doing is even worth doing since you've been supposedly manipulated to this. I'm telling you that the basis of your coup d'etat didn't exist in the first place. You wanted to find out why the zaibatsu waged war against authoritarian regimes around the world, and you wanted to stop it. Now you know, and you know why it couldn't have been prevented. But does that make what you're fighting for - the good of the world - any less worth fighting for? If you had known from the start we could have quashed you at any time, would you have held back? I meant what I said when I said we wouldn't be here today if not for you. We are all fighting for the same cause - and we might have different ways of going about it, but we need each other to succeed. A pre-school kid could recite to you this adage - united we stand, divided we fall - but sometimes, we must diverge first in order to come together later." 

Lars had the grace to look mortified. 

Tougou grinned. "Gotta agree with her there, Commander. Now you know why Jin Kazama chose her as his right hand." 

"And here I thought it was because I could wipe out every single person in this room in five minutes." 

"Well, there's that," Tougou acknowledged amiably. 

The soldiers around them shifted in discomfort, their hands moving to their weapons unconsciously. 

"Except you," Nina clarified, looking at Lars. "You'll take a lot more than that." 

"I certainly hope so, Miss Williams," he said. 

"I apologize," he continued softly. 

Nina waved it away. She turned back to the control panels. 

"For all of Nancy's supposed infallibility, she couldn't track Jin. Do you know why that is?" 

"Well, Raven's organization has always been shrouded in mystery, I assume there's some sort of cloaking tech over their base that prevents tracking."

"Hmm," Nina made a neutral noise. Nancy was designed to filter through almost all cloaking devices, after this...mess was over, more investigation would be required.  
"When did you say Raven will be here?" 

"Two hours from now. We'll receive word when he's in our airspace." 

"Right then. It's time to pool our information together and decide on a plan of action...." 

\--

They were in the midst of a furious discussion when Mia interrupted them. 

"Miss Williams, it's Mr Kazama. He's here, in the med bay." 

"Get my suitcase and meet me there." 

She turned to Lars. "Take me to him." 

The med bay was spacious, but communal. There were no private rooms anywhere besides the operating theatre. 

"We didn't see the need..." Lars began to explain, but Nina had run towards Jin's prone form, lying on a bed in the middle of the med bay. 

Raven stood there solemnly, acknowledging her with a nod. She barely returned it, instead looking Jin over with a critical gaze, then turning to assess his vitals splayed out across the beeping screen. It was beeping at an unusually sedate pace. 

"We can't get him to wake, we hadn't dared to try anything beyond the basics," Raven intoned. "His heart rate has been slowing consistently. Any slower and he will go into cardiac arrest." 

"What?" Lars exclaimed. 

"We've had our doctors look him over - and your doctors have had a brief look just now, too, there's physically nothing wrong with him. They can't tell what's causing it," Raven said somberly. 

Nina's expression was inscrutable. 

"Your case, Miss Williams," Mia approached. 

Nina unclasped it and drew out a slim medical bag. Several sterile needles and a syringe were strapped within. 

"I need medical gloves," she looked up, and a pair was offered to her almost immediately. 

She snapped them on, and prepared the injection - a viscous looking clear-fluid with a yellowish tint. 

"What's that?" Lars gaped. 

"Honestly? I have no idea," Nina muttered.

She swabbed the inner corner of Jin's arm with an alcohol pad, and before anyone could react, had jabbed the needle into his vein, pushing the plunge in.  
Extracting the needle, she stripped off the gloves and rubbed his arm, watching his heart rate closely. 

"It was prepared by Dr Asai, specifically for Jin's constitution," she explained, knowing Lars was about to ask. "He has been the Mishima's doctor for a long time. Heihachi, Kazuya - and now Jin, have all been under his care...it's useful to be a doctor," Nina mused, "you'll always be saved based on your ability to save others." 

As they spoke, Jin's heart rate picked up, and the frequency of the beeps grew till it reached a stable level. 

"He's supposed to be awake, by now," Nina sighed. 

There was no blame in her voice, but Lars felt guilt shoot through him. 

"We'll need to get him to Dr Asai, then?" 

"Yes," Nina affirmed. 

"As soon as possible." 

\--

For the next few days, Nina commandeered a plan to infiltrate the zaibatsu, while Lars was called away to Violet Industries by Lee. 

He had promised a full restoration to Alisa's systems, but so far could not accomplish it. To further complicate things, a young chinese girl by the name of Ling Xiaoyu had attached herself to Alisa's side, claiming she was a close friend. Lee had confirmed that they had an existing connection before even Lars had met her, and so he had no choice but to bring her back to base as well. When Alisa was brought into the medical bay, Xiaoyu had shrieked to see Jin - at a decibel so loud and high that Lars was sure a new note had been discovered. 

"Jiiin!" She had bounded over to him immediately, her hands moving over every inch of him she could reach.

Lars pulled her away with some measure of force. 

"What do you think you're doing?" He questioned calmly.

"He's my friend too, what's wrong with him?" She asked, wide-eyed.

"More than a friend, I'd wager," Tougou teased, and Xiaoyu had flushed. 

"Oh god," Nina's sharp voice had cut through their conversation. "You leave for a few days and come back with excess baggage?" 

"You!" Xiaoyu leveled an accusatory glance at Nina. 

"Yes, me," Nina batted back. 

"What's wrong with this one, then?" She asked, motioning to Alisa's lifeless, still figure.

"Her systems shut down completely after...after," Lars managed to get out, "and we can't get her back." 

"Well, obviously not. She's beyond any other company's tech." 

"Nancy," Nina called, "scan Alisa Bosconovitch." 

"Scan complete. Missing core activation." 

"Great, even more reason we need to get into Central Tower." 

"What kind of activation device does she need?" Lars asked. 

"You've had her re-programmed, right?" 

"I'm not familiar with the specifics, I called in a favour from Lee Chaolan." 

Nina snorted. "Lee? Okay, whatever. I'm not going to judge. It seems like she's been made new again, so to speak, which means she'll need to be activated, and the only one who can activate her again is lying on that bed." Nina pointed at Jin, and Lars swiped his hand over his face tiredly. 

"I don't trust you," Xiaoyu griped suddenly, and the soldiers present in the room all made a noise of surprise. 

Even Lars blinked at her slowly. "Look, Ms Ling -" "Xiaoyu." "Okay, Xiaoyu. All of us here trust Miss Williams - she has no reason to lie to us -" 

Nina put her hand up, causing Lars to stop mid-sentence. She turned to Xiaoyu. "You don't trust me? Fine. Good, even. But it'll also do you good to remember the only reason my sister failed to kill you is because I re-activated Alisa's systems. And without that, you wouldn't have had your little reunion with Jin either." 

"So you're the one who-" Xiaoyu's eyes widened. 

"Yes," Nina smiled coldly. "You're welcome." 

She turned on her heel and left the med bay, several Tekken force soldiers flanking her. 

"Don't worry," Lars was comforting, "I made the same mistake."

Xiaoyu gave him a wan smile for his efforts. 

"But what was she talking about? The mission with Alisa?"

"It's a long story," Xiaoyu sighed. 

Her stomach emitted a growl then, and she realized it was almost lunchtime, but she hadn't had a bite since dinner the day before. "Uh," she started, blushing again. 

Lars laughed. "You can tell me over lunch." His tone was firm, but kind. 

\--

It was in the evening when Lars was showing Xiaoyu around the base that they chanced upon the training grounds. It was an indoor arena, almost like a sports stadium, but all training equipment was structured around the large dojo mat in the center. As soon as they entered, Dave ran up to them. 

"Sir, Miss Ling, Miss Williams is asking for you. She invites you for a sparring session." 

"Really?" Lars asked, bemused. 

"Alright then." Already casually dressed in slacks and a thin undershirt, he was ready. 

They approached the dojo mat. 

"She will be here soon, she's still briefing the recon team." 

"Sure," Lars said, then turned to Xiaoyu. 

"Do you want to go a couple of rounds? It will be a good warm up for me." 

"Sure," Xiaoyu shrugged. She had the utmost confidence in her abilities, and she was always ready to learn more. 

"Three rounds, winner by pinfall?" 

It was the quickest way, and Xiaoyu nodded, removing her sneakers. 

A crowd had gathered to watch. Mia referee-ed, and they began their match without fuss. 

The first round, Xiaoyu took the win. The second and third, Lars had her in a grapple on the ground that she couldn't sqiurm out of, and she had the feeling she hadn't won the first round so much as being given the win. 

She accused him of this rightly, and he laughed. 

"You're right, and I apologize if I haven't given you a fair fight. But you see - my strength is different from most normal men. It's a trait I seem to share with Jin, and-"  
"I hope you don't hold back on me, Alexandersson." 

Nina had arrived, and she was clad in tights and a sports bra, her hair put up in a messy bun. There was a dazzling amount of flesh on display, and visibly Lars saw many of the men - and several of the women - perk up, and he smiled goodnaturedly. The arena was more crowded than ever before, several climbing onto the equipment for a better view.

"We disagreed yesterday on who should distract Heihachi at Central Tower, I thought we could solve this today." 

"Here?" Lars raised his brows.

"Yes, here. I propose a best of three match, winner by submission. No weapons allowed, but don't hold back on that infamous strength you were bragging about." 

"I wasn't -" Lars protested, and Nina smirked. 

"Tougou, referee the match?" Lars asked instead.

Tougou stepped to the edges of the mat, and nodded, smiling. 

Then he addressed the room at large. "Ladies and gentlemen, gather round! We're here to witness one Lars Alexandersson and one Nina Williams spar for the dubious honour of facing Heihachi Mishima straight on! In a best of 3 match, who will we witness tap out by submission? Gather round, gather round!" 

Lars sighed at his theatrics, but there was a palpable excitement in the room. 

Somewhere, a voice shouted, "betting pool has been started on the community server!" and he rolled his eyes. 

Xiaoyu was seated in the front row, Mia next to her. "You were really good," Mia offered, before turning to the soldiers next to her. 

"Jill, Benson, this is Ling Xiaoyu." 

Pleasantries were exchanged, and as they watched Lars and Nina do their stretches, Xiaoyu asked, "who do you think will win?" 

Benson chuckled. "Oh, that's easy. Miss Williams for sure." 

Mia nodded, but Jill was less sure. 

"I don't know, Lars seems - like Jin - superpowered or something."

Mia laughed. "Sometimes I forget you weren't there for that Eddy-Nina showdown. If you'd witnessed Miss Williams in action, there wouldn't be a doubt in your mind." 

"Well I've witnessed Lars actually go toe to toe with Heihachi," Jill brought up defensively. 

"Really?" Benson remarked. "Well, that changes some things...." 

"Whatever it is," Mia interjected, "this is going to be one hell of a show." 

Those who were listening in chorused their agreement. 

"Warm up time is over, folks, let's get ready to battle!" Tougou had gotten hold of a mic, and it blared over the systems. "Ready? In 3-" 

"This is excessive," Lars muttered, but shifted into his beginning stance. 

Nina did the same, then flashed him a come-hither look. "Come on, baby, show me what you got," she purred, and Lars didn't have time to flush, because the bell dinged and Nina had whirled at him with a speed he hadn't expected. 

He made to block her attack, but she slid to the ground at the last possible instant and swept him off his feet instead. 

The jolting blow knocked him to his senses, and before she could stomp on him he had rolled to the side, leaping up with a jumping start. His swift roundhouse kick caught her in the thigh, and she grunted at the impact, but retaliated with powerful backhands that nearly gave him whiplash as his neck twisted right, then left. Nina didn't let up, pressing her advantage by catching him in his chest, abdomen and crotch with quick kicks. He managed to block her last blow, thankfully, catching her by the leg and shoving hard so that she had to do a graceful backward leap to avoid having her joints pop from his strength. This time it was Lars who pushed forward, his fists crackling with energy that glowed golden. 

"Whoa," Xiaoyu exclaimed, and the Tekken Force soldiers who had come from Eddy's division murmured their surprise as well.

In a blur of superhuman speed, Lars had charged forward, and the entire arena held their breaths - surely Nina would be taken down by this one punch?  
To everyone's surprise, Nina had raced forward the same time as Lars, meeting him head on. 

"What is she doing?" Jill threw her hands up. 

Before Lars made contact with her, Nina launched herself in the air with a powerful spring, and when Lars' fist didn't reach their target, he looked up in surprise, which was his mistake. 

Nina had jumped right atop him, and she landed squarely on his shoulders.He stumbled backwards, her thighs wrapped around his head, and he felt her twist his neck painfully. The momentum sent him sprawling to the ground, his breath knocked out of him. His windpipe was being squeezed by Nina's thighs and his nose covered. It was suffocating, and he made to throw her off, but he realized as soon as he heaved her upwards that it would mean he sprained - or worse, broke - his neck in the process.  
He was getting light headed fast, and in desperation he tapped at the outer side of her thighs, indicating his submission.

Almost immediately, he could breathe again, and light flooded his vision. He gulped in air greedily, lying down on the mat, and distantly he was aware of the hoots and applause.

Tougou's voice was booming. 

"The first round goes to Miss Niiiinaaaaa Williaaaams!" 

"Lars, that was almost too easy," Nina tsk-ed. He was working up a sweat already, but Nina looked unflappable - her skin had taken on a rosy glow instead.  
Too easy? He would show her too easy. 

He swaggered onto his feet, and beckoned at her. 

"The second round begins now!" Tougou boomed. 

"In 3, 2, 1 -" 

Lars and Nina circled each other first this time, both looking for an opening. Lars seized one when he made a feint to her left, and then caught her in a grapple from the right. He yanked at her arms, then executed a complicated throw that had Nina landing several feet away, her feet brushing the edge of the mat.  
She was up in a flash, barraging forward with a combination of jabs that Lars had difficulty blocking. He retaliated with his own punches, his Shorinji kempo training serving him well. His fists lit up with electricity again, and it managed to distract Nina well enough for him to catch her in the gut. She grunted in pain, and backed away. Lars chased after her, but a swift uppercut sent him stumbling and cursing. He felt warm blood trail down his nose, and heard Nina let out a breathless laugh. 

"It won't be funny when you're tapping out, Williams," he growled. "Get over here." 

"I can feel a bruise forming, you bastard," she spat at him, but ran forward, head down and shoulders out. Lars underestimated the force of her weight, thinking he could catch her easily, but it threw him back again. 

"Damnit, Williams!" He exclaimed. His hands shot out and closed around her ankle, and she fell atop him. 

"If you wanted me on top of you you could have just asked," Nina said slyly. 

The crowd laughed long and loud at her insinuation, and this time Lars flushed as he threw her off. He swiped the blood and sweat from his face with his white tank, then ripped it off himself, discarding it at the side. 

"Nice," Nina continued her banter, "but I've seen better...and bigger," she added, laughing as she danced around him, taunting with feints.

He made a right hook, but she ducked and instead barrelled into him in a bear hug. He was prepared and managed to keep his balance, catching her head under his arm. He made to squeeze in a submission hold, but a knee to his crotch forced him to let go, and he groaned in pain. 

"That was uncalled for," he complained. 

"Next time wear a codpiece," she remarked lightly, and while he was still bent over, delivered another swift uppercut that forced his head up, just so he could witness as her feet struck him down one after the other in an ivory cutter. 

"Holy shit, that was beautiful!" Benson exclaimed, hollering enthusiastically. 

Xiaoyu had to agree. Lars was an excellent fighter, but his strength and fists were his biggest asset. Nina was versatile, quick, unpredictable, and moved with such grace as to give anyone envy. It was nearly flawless how she shifted from one stance to another - her movements were not sinuous, but powerful and precise. Nina sat on Lars' back heavily, her arms wrapping around his neck in a submission move again, but instead of tapping out, Lars reached his arms backwards, catching hold of Nina's thighs. His hands lit up with electricity, and she swore loudly, leaping off him. 

"Next time wear thicker pants," he wheezed, mocking her, and she narrowed her eyes. 

They circled each other again, and again, Lars pressed forward first. Instead of attacking this time, he slammed his fists into the dojo mat with enough force that Nina lost her footing, and he grabbed her hand, yanking her forward before kicking her hard enough she fell back with a groan. 

Before she could recover, Lars executed his electric fist so fast Nina could barely dodge it, and it caught enough of her that she lay on the ground completely still for awhile.  
Lars felt himself panic when she didn't move - he was an idiot - his fists had enough power to damage even Heihachi, how could he expect Nina to - 

"Ugh," she groaned, turning around, and relief flooded him.

"Submit," she called out, and a cheer went up in the audience. 

"The second round goes to Laaaaaars Alexandersson!" Tougou shouted. "A ten minute break before we return for the deal breaker, ladies and gentlemen!" 

"You okay?" Lars approached Nina immediately, but she had already gotten up, wincing as she prodded at her arm where his fist had caught her. 

"Water, Miss Williams, Mr Alexandersson," a soldier ran forward, holding a bottle out to each of them, and they accepted. 

"It wasn't so bad," she commented, after gulping down half her bottle, then gave him a curious look. 

"I thought you did kempo karate." 

"I do," Lars arched a brow. 

"The move just now was not kempo," Nina pointed out. 

"Yes," he acknowledged. "It was nothing special, though - I developed it during an intense fight, actually." 

He didn't mention that the fight was with Heihachi, but Nina had sent him another piercing glance, making an assessing "hmm" sound.

"Ready, guys?" Tougou approached them. 

"Sure," Nina said, downing the rest of her bottle. 

"The betting pool is skyrocketing. My money's on you, Williams," Tougou teased. 

"Raise it a hundred percent, and split half with me when I win," she said drily. 

"You have no loyalty," Lars griped at him, and Tougou pressed a hand over his heart, affecting hurt. 

"I'm loyal enough to know your flaws, Commander!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final round is in the next chapter!


	3. and we take destiny

The third round began with everyone on edge. Lars had several sharp cuts and bruises, most obviously around his neck, which Nina had gone for several times. There was a dull ache when he breathed. He could feel several parts of him ache as well. Nina's bruises were more visible, one blooming around the curve of her waist, another wrapped around her thigh, and a patch down the length of her arm. 

He watched as she wrapped her abdomen with a length of tape, preventing the bruise from spreading. 

"It's the final round - remember to place your bets," Tougou announced. 

"Let us begin, winner takes all! In 3, 2, 1-"

The match this time was off to a slow start, both rather weary of the other. When they clashed, it was with less force than before, and both were on the defensive more than the offensive. Nina's attacks were easy to deflect - repetitive, even, and Lars found it slightly hypnotic, his moves growing slightly sloppier. It was his mistake, because midway through blocking her high jab, Nina suddenly shifted her stance, and attacked with a swift series of kicks that left him blindsided. It was like she had switched tact suddenly. He made to counter with kicks of his own, but she lunged out of the way easily. She lunged forward and caught his head in her hands, swinging herself over him. Lars felt his world tip upside down as he was thrown into the air, landing on his side. 

"And I thought he was the strong one!" Jill chuckled. 

Benson was more serious. "Lars needs to get her with that electricity mambo jumbo if he wants to win this." 

On the mat, Lars had scrambled up, and Nina was running towards him in what seemed like a finishing blow. He readied his fists, but Nina had leapt over him, her arms reaching around his back in a hug and her fingers moving along his arms in a gentle caress. Lars was completely baffled, and slackened his grip, only for Nina to tighten hers immediately on his wrist. Her fingers seemed to push into his pulse points, and when he tried to summon his electric fists again, found himself unable to.

"Wha-?" He exclaimed. 

He swung out at Nina, and they engaged in another series of exchanges, before he made a misstep and Nina flew onto him like a black widow with its long limbs - hers wrapped around him and she swung around his body, moving so fast he was disoriented as to what was happening. He felt her clasp his hands, the grip of her thighs around his ribs, and then he was down on the ground, completely immobile. He belly flopped in an attempt to sway her off, but she had him bound up with her own limbs so tight he felt muscles he never knew he had being stretched. Any more and she was going to tear his hamstring. 

The crowd leaned forward with baited breath, and Lars tapped out. 

The room erupted in chaos of celebration and disappointment, Tougou's voice nearly drowned out over the meelee. Nina released him, and Lars let out a deep groan. He ached absolutely everywhere. The ensuing raucous was all a blur to him; he only knew that besides the sting of his hurt pride, his cuts too stung under the shower, although the rest of his muscles cried in relief. 

It was hours after dinner and having to endure Tougou's irrepressible smirk that he was finally left alone. 

Xiaoyu had been consoling during dinner, but left immediately after to check on Jin and spend time with the new company she found in Mia, Jill and Benson. In the coolness of the night, he padded barefoot to the medical bay, nodding at the medics on duty, then walked towards Jin's bed. Nina was already there, sitting beside him and taking more scans with a handheld. 

"How many times do you need to scan him?" Lars asked bemusedly. 

"It's not me," Nina grumbled, "old man Asai is demanding them." 

"What? You're in contact with him?" 

"Technically, Nancy is," Nina answered. "Heihachi respects Asai, but any respect Asai had for him was left to be buried after Heihachi betrayed his only grandson. He has something of a soft spot for Jin now." 

"I see," Lars said evenly. 

He cast an eye over Jin, studying his peaceful looking features, but it was the black tattoo on his arm that captured Lars' attention. 

"Are you looking to give him a sponge bath?" Nina deadpanned. 

Lars looked up, startled. 

"What, no!"

"You're staring at him awfully hard. I've only seen the nurses do that. I hear they quibble over who gets to sponge him," Nina grinned. 

"I...really?" Lars looked apprehensive. 

"No," Nina's grin widened, and Lars sighed. Played. Again. 

"How's your arm?" He asked. 

"It hurts like a bitch, but I've gotten a lot worse. How's your pride?" 

"It's taken a beating," Lars said glumly, then realized why he had wanted to seek Nina out. 

"When you disabled my powers - how did you do that?" 

"It's temporary, as I'm sure you already know. The question is - when were you going to tell me you're a Mishima?" Nina's tone was light, but her gaze was piercing. 

Lars' jaw dropped open. 

"I - how did you know? I've not told a single soul. Not even Heihachi knew." 

Nina made a noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter. 

"So it's that old bastard eh? Figures. How did you find out?" 

"You can't turn the question back on me, Williams," Lars sounded put off. 

"Nina," she corrected gently, and he looked pleasantly surprised. 

"Nina," he repeated. It rolled off his tongue easily, but despite the open vowels there was a sharp tang to her name. 

"Well?" Nina prodded, looking up from her handheld briefly. 

"When I got old enough to ask about my father, my mom told me he was a businessman and that they had split before she knew she was expecting me. She had no way of contacting him. It was only years later, when my physical strength got too obvious that I saw the worry in her eyes - and you know the Iron Fist is an international event, but when I brought up the possibility of participating she had such an immense reaction that I got suspicious. I finally got her to tell me the truth. She had travelled to Japan for business, caught Heihachi's interest at an event. She was taken in herself by the power and wealth, but it was never meant to be anything more. She left him after a few months - she said she got weary of his intensity, and she wasn't doing herself any favours with his son, whom Heihachi also hated." 

"Ah, Kazuya," Nina nodded. 

"Yes," Lars affirmed. 

"So what, you upped and left to join the Tekken Force?" Nina questioned. 

"My mother died not long after I turned 21. I had nothing else going for me," Lars muttered. 

Nina nodded. She didn't apologize, and he was grateful. 

"But I'm not a Mishima - you're wrong about that. And I never will be," he said vehemently. 

Nina shrugged. "Fair enough." 

"But not everyone's like you. Let's just hope no others turn up claiming legacy and lineage," Nina smiled. "The whole world has to stop for this family's troubles - I can't imagine any more." 

"Who knows?" Lars remarked wryly. 

"And who's to say Kazuya didn't sire bastards of his own?" He joked. 

"At least I know this one won't have such problems." Nina cast her gaze back at Jin, and Lars arched a brow. 

"Really? You expect me to believe that such a strapping young man like Jin Kazama doesn't have men or women catering to his every whim whenever he feels like it? Not even before he took over the zaibatsu?" 

"I don't know about before the zaibatsu," Nina replied, "but during? I would have known." 

"How?" Lars challenged. 

"The walls aren't very thick in the penthouse," Nina smirked. 

Lars wasn't convinced. 

"There must have been moments where you weren't keeping an eye on him." 

"Of course," Nina didn't miss a beat. 

"But I know enough to read the signs when someone's been engaging in an illicit liaison," she gave him a meaningful look. 

Lars blinked. "What?" 

Nina sighed. Some people were too dense for euphemisms. "I can tell if you've had sex recently. Is that clear enough?" 

Lars blanched and turned an unsightly shade. 

Nina didn't even try to hide the bellow of her laughter. 

"You just had to ask, Alexandersson," she hooted. 

"Does Jin know this?"

"It isn't exactly a skill one lists down," Nina snorted. 

"But could you also tell, whenever he-" 

"You're pushing it, Lars," Nina cautioned, and he raised his hands up. 

"I'm just slightly shocked, you can't blame me for being curious. I mean, now that you've told me, I'll just be thinking of him - wait no, I didn't mean it like that -" 

Nina's amusement was palpable, and she sent him a pitying glance. 

"Forget it," Lars sighed. 

\--

Nina had told Lars the walls in the penthouse were thin, but as she laid down to rest in the well-furnished room Lars had so kindly allocated her at the base, she recalled the first of all the incidents brought about by those thin walls. 

\-- 

She jerked awake at the loud grunt, her beretta already in hand. Sitting up, completely still, her ears pricked for any further noise they could detect. Another tense few seconds passed, and she heard another grunt, accompanied by a frantic muttering. She recognized the inflections in tone as Jin's voice, and she pressed her ear against the wall that separated their rooms. She couldn't make out any distinct words, but he sounded distressed, and she quickly threw on her silk kimono robe, put her hair up and left her room. She didn't knock before she opened his door; and from the pale light cast by the moon and the indistinct glow of city lights, she made out his form twisted in the sheets of the massive bed. 

His features were contorted in agony, and padding closer, Nina could hear the words "mum", "no", "ogre", "grandpa", and "fire". 

He was having a nightmare. She hesitated, and thought it best to let his nightmare play out. As softly as she had come in, she left the room. His nightmares continued for another hour, and her own sleep was fitful. 

That was her first week on the job. 

The next few weeks, the nightmares recurred, and she noticed that every time he had them, he would be distracted the next day. She finally brought it up to him in the soft light of sunrise, when they were sat at the dining table over sumptuous plates of French breakfast. 

"Have you considered getting help for your nightmares?" 

Jin had been in the process of lashing his croissant with a thick helping of jam and butter, and was caught off guard. 

He recovered well, and said, "no therapist in the world can help with my issues - and none dare attempt, at any rate." 

"I wasn't talking about therapy," Nina said simply, careful not to drop stray flakes of warm almond pastry onto her outfit for the day, "I was talking about medication." 

"Ah," he replied. "I've tried that, actually. Dr Asai prescribed me several variations of the strongest inhibitors - none of them worked." 

Nina made a mildly sympathetic noise, and the discussion ended. 

That night, however, before he retired for bed, he said softly, "I'm sorry if I've been disrupting your sleep, I'll go back to Dr Asai tomorrow to see if anything else can be done." 

Nina had been surprised at his consideration. 

"Jin, it isn't for my benefit that I brought it up," she replied, and he nodded resignedly. 

She was there at the lab when Dr Asai took more brainwave imagery and scans. 

"There's not much I can do that I haven't already tried, the old man tutted. 

"The medications don't work because you're physically and mentally resistant to them. You need to associate new memories with your nighttime routine - any psychiatrist will tell you this." 

She trailed behind as Jin left the labs, and ducked into Dr Asai's office. 

"Doctor, would it help to wake him in the middle of those nightmares?" 

"I don't know, my dear," Asai had admitted, "but at this point, I think we could try anything." 

Nina nodded. 

She was awakened by Jin's rambling panic again that very night, and this time when she slipped into his room, she called his name.

"Jin," she tried, and when he continued his thrashing, repeated it louder until she was nearly yelling. 

Still he did not wake, and she approached him cautiously. He was drenched in cold sweat, his fists clenched so tight around his sheets his knuckles were white. Nina let her fingers graze his bare arm, and when there was no reaction, she seized his shoulder. He woke then - and immediately launched forward in a move to pin her, but Nina had been prepared for this, and after a brief scuffle she ended up pinning him back to his bed instead, her hands forcing his arms down and her weight rested fully on his abdomen. He blinked up at her dazedly, completely disoriented, and she smiled down at him.

"Awake now, are we?" 

"What were you thinking?" He growled. "I could have killed you!" 

She arched a brow. "With that flimsy attack? I don't think so." 

"You got lucky," he insisted, and Nina felt his muscles bunch up underneath her touch. 

"Before you - there were others. All of them got caught in the crosshairs of the creature's beam." 

Nina furrowed her brow. What cr- ah. Devil Jin.

She would have told him that maybe, if he stopped abjecting himself from the "creature", he would find more rest, but she had a feeling that wouldn't go over well, so she peered at him intently instead. 

"Jin, look at me. I'm not like the others. You have seen my list of triumphs. They are not for show."

He looked up at her, his muscles gradually relaxing, and she moved off him. 

"It's better if you don't wake me," he said gruffly. 

"We don't know that," Nina said tiredly. "Now do you want me to go or stay?" 

Jin looked up at her, startled. "Stay?" 

"Relax," Nina rolled her eyes, "your bed could fit ten men your size. Since we've committed to this, we might as well see it through. Every time you start having a nightmare, I'll wake you." 

"I don't recall committing to anything," Jin said, but the tone of amusement in his voice was unmistakable. 

"Too bad," Nina's voice held no remorse at all, and she made to settle down a distance away from him. 

He laid down again, cautiously, and this time she sighed loudly.

"I'm not going to eat you up," she hedged. 

"That's not really what I'm worried about," he ventured. 

"What then? Don't tell me you have some weird conservative sensibility." 

"I've just....never shared a bed with anyone," Jin admitted, and Nina didn't breathe for several heartbeats. 

"You mean you've never -" 

"I have," he quickly said, "I have...just not in a bed." 

Nina was silent for a few moments. "If you're uncomfortable, I'll return to my room." 

"No, this is fine," he said softly. 

She waited until she could hear the deep, even breathing that signaled his sleep, before she dropped off into dreamland herself. 

When she woke, the sun was casting golden glows over her form, and panic seized her immediately when she realized she wasn't in her own room. Her hand shot under the pillow, and when it came up empty she sat up so fast her vision swirled. 

"Whoa, steady there," came a deep baritone, and she turned to see Jin watching her. His eyes were still half lidded, his voice thick with sleep, and the memory of their agreement the night before flooded back. The panic, however, refused to leave her. 

"Good morning," she greeted shortly, sweeping off his massive bed, then "I'll see you at breakfast," before she swept out the room without another word. 

She rushed into her own bedroom and ran the shower, sticking her hands under the warm water. They were shaking slightly, and she felt physically sick. Leaving the tap on, she ran back into the room, digging into her bedside drawer for her bottle of pills. She dry swallowed one of them, and sat on the ground for a full ten minutes trying to steady her breathing. When she felt calmer, she returned to the ensuite to wash up, and applied her makeup routinely. She checked the schedule for the day on the handheld, found it filled with nothing but corporate meetings, and donned her stockings, skirt and a button down top. 

When she headed out to the living area, breakfast was ready, and Jin was waiting. 

"What happened?" He asked. 

Nina looked over the selection of the day - it was a Japanese breakfast, which meant natto, white rice, sunny side ups, miso soup and cold tofu. 

"Let me sit down first, wonder boy," Nina muttered, and as she served herself her own share of breakfast, Jin prepared a mug of tea and offered it to her. She peered into it, and realized it was chamomile with a teaspoon of manuka honey. She sent him an impressed glance. Two months in and he had already learned what teas she liked and when she liked them. 

"I had an episode," she explained simply as she started eating. 

Jin nodded. "Panic?"

"Yes. I take medication for it. Dr Asai has developed a kind that works especially fast and especially well." 

"I'm glad he could help," was all Jin said. 

She could sense his pervading curiosity, however, and when she moved onto her rice and he still hadn't said a thing, she tutted. He looked at her, startled. 

"It doesn't hurt to ask, Jin." 

"I didn't want it to seem like I was prying." 

"Trust me, I'll let you know if you are." 

Jin paused, separating his tofu into cubes with his chopsticks, then asked, "how does it affect your missions?"

"It doesn't," Nina said emphatically. "That's why I take the medication - because it helps." 

"But what triggers it?"

"Mostly uncertainty - and like just now, waking up in an unknown space. Years of unintended, involuntary cryosleep will do that to you," Nina smiled wanly. "It sounds counterproductive since the very nature of my role is premised on uncertainty, but in a paradoxical sense it also makes me good at what I do. I'm paranoid and I tend to prepare too much - but it does help." 

"I don't think you're paranoid," Jin said lightly, then chuckled. "Have you met me?" 

They both laughed together. 

Jin's nightmares didn't go away, but every time Nina woke him after they began, she could see the relief cloud his features, and after he went back to sleep they did not recur - so even though the problem couldn't be eliminated, it was drastically reduced. 

\--

When Nina awoke the next day at Lars' base, she was first aware of the deep ache in several parts of her body, and she groaned, burying her face into the pillow. The ointment she had applied would help speed up her recovery - and her heightened fitness meant she healed at a faster rate too, but the day after was always the worst. When she bumped into Lars at breakfast, he looked chipper and unbothered, and she was tempted to wipe the floor with him again out of pure spite. 

During the first meeting of the day, tensions ran high. It was agreed that Nina would comandeer the rebels against Heihachi while Lars and Xiaoyu transported Jin and Alisa to Dr Asai's labs, but the entire room was split on the directive after that. 

"We should try to reestablish control at Central Tower," Tougou and the other lieutenants insisted. "Majority of the force will recognize Jin as the natural leader of the zaibatsu." 

"According to whom?" Lars shot back. 

Tougou looked to Nina exasperatedly. 

"It's difficult to say," she sighed. 

"Eddy's unit is loyal to our cause - I know Ezo over there and a few others who will be too, but I can't confirm it is a majority. There are many who have been with Heihachi longer. His apparent infallibility doesn't help, either." 

"Didn't you have your own team?" Tougou frowned. 

"Is that the intel you guys received?" Nina raised her brows. 

"Not exactly," Lieutenant Hilda explained, "but we had reports that G Corp sent a large recon team to sabotage one of your missions, and they were completely wiped out." 

Nina smirked. "Yes, they were. But there was no team involved on my side." 

"You mean...." Hilda paused, her disbelief echoed across the room, and Nina put on a faux innocent look, affecting modesty. 

"You took out an entire G Corp recon team on your own?" Xiaoyu gaped. 

"Why so surprised, Ms Ling? You and Alisa did pretty well against one of their combat groups, did you not?" 

"We didn't take them out, we escaped," Xiaoyu pointed out.

"Same difference," Nina shrugged, then her voice turned into a sneer. "Besides, G Corp doesn't have the best talent, if Anna is any indication." 

Xiaoyu winced at the mention. 

Nina tilted her head. "Oh? She rubbed you the wrong way, did she?" 

"If by that you mean she got me expelled from my school, coerced me into going undercover for her, physically and verbally threatened me and nearly killed me twice, then yes, she rubbed me the wrong way." 

Nina laughed. "Yes, that sounds like her. She never plays fair, that minx." 

"The fact that you two are related..." Xiaoyu trailed off.

"Why? Are we too similar, or too different?" There was no hostility to Nina's words, she was genuinely curious.

"There certainly are similarities," Xiaoyu acknowledged, "but the differences are obvious. She seems to take pleasure in being bad, and I think you try to avoid doing bad if you can." 

Nina looked amused. "How would you know?" 

Xiaoyu flushed. "Just a gut feel."

Nina laughed softly. "I'll take it as a compliment, then." 

"Intriguing conversation aside," Tougou interrupted, "we really need to decide on a plan. Shall we take this to a vote?" 

Everyone in the room voiced their opinions or objections to re-taking the zaibatsu, and it came down to Nina to break the tie. 

"Your call, Miss Right Hand Woman," Tougou gestured. 

Nina pursed her lips. "I stand with Lars on this. We don't have enough manpower to be assured of victory, especially if Heihachi deploys Mishima Heavy Industry tech. The priority is to get Jin awake." 

Tougou accepted the overrule graciously. 

"Alright then, let's go through the details now." 

\-- 

As the meeting adjourned, Nina delayed Xiaoyu at the door. 

"I need to speak to you about Jin." 

Xiaoyu's eyes widened. "What about him? He'll be okay, right?" 

"If all goes to plan, we have nothing to worry about," Nina assured. "But that's where you come in." 

"I'm just helping Lars get them both safely to the labs."

"Yes, but Jin might....react when he wakes." 

"What do you m- oh. You mean...the Devil Jin?" 

"Yes. You need to be there at his side to calm him down, inhibit his reactive tendency." 

Xiaoyu was silent for several moments. 

"Look," Nina said patiently, "you remember the conversations you've had with him. Your aura is similar to his mother's, it will do him good if you were there. You're a good friend to him.." 

"I -" Xiaoyu blushed heavily. 

"Okay," she nodded. 

"Good," Nina intoned. 

\-- 

On the day of the operations, everyone was jittery. Nina had Nancy page Dr Asai to expect them soon, and as she watched the squadrons roll out, she felt the restlessness build within her. 

"Time to go, Nina," Lars approached her, and they headed to the airfield, where a large military issue helicopter was waiting. 

Inside, Dave grinned and saluted her, and she nodded. Jin and Alisa were strapped to beds that took up space in the middle, everyone else sat around them - her, Lars, Xiaoyu and Tougou. She leaned forward to check Jin's pulse one more time, fingers around his wrist, and noted that it was steady. 

"Dave, lift off." 

"Yes ma'am!" 

\--

In the helicopter, they went through the plans once more, on Nina's insistence. 

"When we get there, the first squadron should have already engaged their frontline defence forces in a preliminary clash. I have instructed Nancy to wipe out their communications network, and to send info to Ezo and a few of the other Lieutenants. We can expect them to engage against Heihachi's forces as well," she explained, but before she could go on, the crackle of her earpiece distracted her, and she pressed a finger to the answering device. 

"Miss Williams?" This is Lieutenant-General Ezo." 

"Ah," Nina said, and she held up a finger to the rest of the occupants in the helicopter. 

"What do you have for me, Ezo?" 

"Miss Williams, we have reports that you are coming in. Can you confirm?" 

"Yes, I'll be there. Is your unit combat ready?" 

"Yes ma'am. What else do you need from us?" 

"Heihachi's location would be good." 

"Heihachi Mishima is overseeing the repairs on the MI847J model. It is expected to be fully functional this afternoon." 

"Excellent," Nina lit up. "What a perfect distraction for us. The first squadron of rebel fighters will be there soon. Look for Jill. She's leading the charge, and prepare to assist her." 

"Yes ma'am." 

Nina turned back to the rest of the team. "Heihachi is overseeing operations at one of the Mishima Industry hangars."

"That's the furthest cluster from Asai's labs," Lars pointed out astutely. 

"Exactly. And what Heihachi doesn't know is that Nancy can remotely activate the MI847J model. It'll be chaos in there - there will be more than enough time for the both of you to get to the labs. Nancy will lure Heihachi out to the battleground, and we'll engage him from there." 

"Alright," Lars agreed, and the sounds of gunfire and warfare reached their ears as they neared the Central Tower. It was beautiful and imposing from a distance, with its Venetian glass and soaring facades. 

Gun fire rocked the helicopter without warning, and Nina cursed. "Fuck!" 

She looked out the window, and realized they were being fired at by anti air-craft missiles. Dave had swerved expertly, but the gunfire had still clipped some of the helicopter's exterior. 

Nina pressed her fingers to her communicator again. "Nancy, activate MI847J. Fire at will." 

Lars and Tougou were busy issuing commands of their own, as the rebels air power launched forward to cover their helicopter. 

"Dave, how long more before we can land?" Nina shouted over the din. 

"Give me five minutes, Miss Williams, I'll bring her down in front of Block 7A!" 

More explosions rocked the helicopter.

"Brace yourselves," Nina muttered, and then Dave began a plummeting descent that sent nearly everyone jolting forward. 

Xiaoyu clutched the stretchers to steady herself, and to prevent them from sliding forward. The helicopter landed harshly, but its occupants were used to such dangerous situations - they leapt off, Lars and Tougou lifting both stretchers out. 

In the distance, Nina could hear the whirring wail of MI847J. 

A team of soldiers spotted them, and ran forward with their weapons raised. 

"Lars, Xiaoyu - go, now!" Nina ordered. 

They nodded and took off into the base. 

"Ezo, do you read me? We need backup at 7A." 

Nina's communicator crackled. "Roger that. I will send a team to you." 

Dave had emerged from the now-still helicopter, his own combat rifle raised. 

"Alright," Nina said, smiling at both him and Tougou, "let's warm-up." 

\--

Asai's labs were easy to find, and their arrival was swift. Lars and Xiaoyu had taken their turns disposing of any guards they encountered, and Asai was waiting for them. 

"Quick, wheel the boy here," Asai had commanded, his voice soft with old age but no less stern. 

He hooked Jin up to a complicated looking machine that had more panels and signs than either of them could comprehend, and squinted at them quickly. An IV drip had been attached to him, but Jin didn't seem to be responding to the solutions Asai had filled the IV bag with. 

"Okay, let's try this," Asai hobbled to a high-security safe, inputting a string of codes, and it beeped open to reveal several syringes with a glowing purple serum. 

"Um," Xiaoyu voiced out, and Lars looked visibly apprehensive. 

"It's a variation of the strand of devil serum we managed to produce from his DNA. It should revive him - which side of him, we'll find out soon." 

"Wasn't Jin trying to get rid of it?" Lars said confusedly. 

"Does it look like it worked?" Asai eyed him, then jabbed a crooked finger at Jin's prominent devil tattoo.

"The gene is still in him," he waved at the screens. 

"Now, I need the two of you to contain him should his devil side emerge, and by that I mean get me out of here," he cracked a grin. "I need to be alive to continue overseeing his treatment." 

"Nina said my presence will inhibit its emergence," Xiaoyu spoke up. 

"Did she?" Asai scrutinized her, as though searching for something. "I trust that woman. If she says so, I believe that." 

They watched as Asai prepared the serum, flicking the glass tube several times. It was jabbed into Jin's inner arm, and immediately the signs on the panels began to change. His heartbeat picked up, something both Lars and Xiaoyu noticed. 

"It's working!" He exclaimed. 

"Bah, of course it is. The boy will be awake in several minutes." 

\--

Nina, Tougou, Dave and the team Ezo had sent had fought their way to the main battle arena. MI847J was still wreaking havoc, but it had been visibly worn down by opposing forces. 

"Miss Williams, this is Jill. Do you copy?" Nina's earpiece went off. 

"Yes, what is it?" 

"Miss Williams, Heihachi Mishima is on his way to the arena." 

"Roger that. Tell all units to standby and disengage." 

"Yes, Miss Williams." 

\-- 

Heihachi's approach was hailed by silence. 

The battleground was surrounded by Tekken forces of opposing agendas, but a large space had been created in the center. With every stride forward, and even with guns pointed at him, Heihachi radiated power. The soldiers shifted listlessly; most looked uncomfortable. 

"You," Heihachi rumbled, and his voice boomed with all the force of thunder. 

"Me," Nina acknowledged. 

She stepped forward, and Heihachi cackled, throwing his head back. "You insouciant cockroach, you'll be crushed at my foot." 

"You need work on your insults, they're as passé as you are," Nina feigned a yawn, and his fists crackled with rage.

"Prepare to die!" He roared, and charged forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jin will be awake in the next chapter!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sorry to say I've taken liberties with the entire Tekken plot as a whole. Let me know what you think about this! We meet Lars in the next chapter. 
> 
> Title taken from Hamlet!


End file.
